✨ Capitalization Rules: Dialogue Tags
When we write dialogue (the exact words someone says), we use quotation marks (“ ” or ‘ ’). A dialogue tag is the part that tells us who is speaking and how they said it. For example: he said, she asked, they shouted.
But how do we know when to capitalize the words inside the quotation marks? Let’s learn the rules.
🟢 Rule 1: Tag + Quoted Sentence → Capitalize Inside the Quote
If the dialogue tag comes before the quotation, the first word inside the quotation marks must be capitalized. That’s because the quoted words are a complete sentence.
Examples:
- He asked, “Are you ready?”
- She said, “This is my favorite book.”
- Mom shouted, “Dinner is ready!”
- The teacher explained, “You must finish your homework.”
👉 Notice how the first word inside the quotation marks (Are, This, Dinner, You) is capitalized.
🟡 Rule 2: Quoted Sentence + Tag → The Quoted Sentence Already Begins with a Capital
If the quotation comes before the dialogue tag, the first word inside the quotation marks is already capitalized (because it’s the start of a sentence). The tag comes after the quotation, usually with a comma before it.
Examples:
- “We’ll start now,” she said.
- “I love reading,” he replied.
- “Can you help me?” asked the boy.
- “It’s raining,” said Dad.
👉 The quoted sentence begins with a capital letter (We’ll, I, Can, It’s) because it’s a full sentence.
🧩 More Examples to Practice
- Tag first: He whispered, “Be quiet.”
- Quote first: “Be quiet,” he whispered.
- Tag first: She asked, “Do you want ice cream?”
- Quote first: “Do you want ice cream?” she asked.
🔄 American vs. British English Differences
The capitalization rules for dialogue tags are the same in both American and British English. The difference is in the style of quotation marks and punctuation placement:
| Feature | American English | British English |
| Quotation marks | Usually double quotes (“ ”) | Usually single quotes (‘ ’) |
| Punctuation placement | Periods and commas go inside the quotation marks | Periods and commas often go outside the quotation marks |
| Capitalization | Same rules: capitalize the first word of the quoted sentence | Same rules |
Example:
- American English: He asked, “Are you ready?”
- British English: He asked, ‘Are you ready’?
- American English: “We’ll start now,” she said.
- British English: ‘We’ll start now’, she said.
👉 The capitalization is the same, but the quotation marks and punctuation placement differ.
🧪 Practice Sentences
Decide if the capitalization is correct:
- He said, “are you ready?”
- He said, “Are you ready?”
- “we’ll start now,” she said.
- “We’ll start now,” she said.
Answers:
- ❌ Wrong → should be “Are” capitalized.
- ✅ Correct.
- ❌ Wrong → should be “We’ll” capitalized.
- ✅ Correct.
🎯 Summary
- Tag + quoted sentence → capitalize inside the quote.
- Quoted sentence + tag → the quoted sentence already begins with a capital.
- American vs. British English → Same capitalization rules, but different quotation mark styles and punctuation placement.